​You open a website and see the hungry and adorable eyes of child who only wants one thing: to be loved. How can you not want to wrap your arms around them?

The problem is it’s expensive. Most international adoptions are $25,000 and upwards in addition to travel cost. There are thousands of couples who would love to adopt, but can’t afford the staggering cost.

An often overlooked area, however, is in our own backdoor. Over 400,000 children are in foster care; of that over 100,000 are waiting to be adopted. Many of these children are never adopted—they age out of the system—which means they go through life never having anyone to call mom or dad.

But what about those cost? Good question…but what cost? As opposed to international adoptions, most county adoptions (and by county, I don’t mean you found a mom who wants to give up her baby…I mean kids in the foster care system) don’t cost anything but your time. Any cost associated with the adoption (home study, background checks, etc) are picked up by the county; and there’s more—depending on where you live, you are often given an allowance to help pay for food and clothing—and medical expenses is also covered. All you have to do is prove you can care for a child.

Interested in domestic adoption through the county? Every state—and every county—has different guidelines; California residents can start here: www.cakidsconnection.org

NOTE: I am not associated, nor do I endorse, any of these charities; before donating to any charity, it is always advisable to research them and make sure the money is being used responsibly. One of the largest charity watchdog groups has a database here: http://www.charitynavigator.org